Mass Effect : Project Echo
by Faithless wanderer
Summary: Project Lazarus wasnt the only project taking place on the Lazarus station, shepard aid was too valuable to pin all those hopes on just one endeavor so in Cerberus fashion, The end justifies the means.
1. Chapter 1

**Faithless here! Whats up my dear readers I'm just here to say Hello to you all and welcome you to yet another journey, while I know that I am beginning to post many stories and while that's known to annoy some people**

 **I will do so anyway and the reason being that writing 1 or 2 stories at a time isn't in my character, because when I do that it feels like Someones peeling at my brain**

 **I'm more along the line of someone who goes hopping back and forth as ideas and inspirations hits me, and that's what gets me to write, well that and reviews because those just make my day**

 **So anyway here's another story fresh for all of you**

" people talking "

" **Radio/comms "**

'thoughts'

 **And if there's no signs or symbols then well it's obviously just for exposition**

 **I have a bad habit of switching perspectives so try to not assume that it will remain consistent**

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Welcome..

System access

Welcome back Dr….

Error user authenticating indicates the use of defunct access keys…

Override Command code requested…

Override Command codes received...

….Error overiden….

Accessing Current Cerberus Projects :

Accessing.. File Alpha

Project : Overlord

Project : E.D.I.

Project : Submission

Project : Transcendence

Project : ********

Caution-Accessing Cerberus files…

Penalty for attempted access without proper authorization is grounds for immediate termination…

Authorization codes received….error...error..Malware detected

Initiating Data Purge….Purge-unsuccessful….files access disconnected

Rerouting..Rerouting...restoring from backup facility archives

Folder alpha Summary - Life

the goal of all sentient beings is the continuation and progression of life.

Humanity reached out to the stars in the search of life outside of its small world, in time they were met by intelligent life, upon the discovery of the Citadel council and the subsequent integration of Alliance assets into the galactic community humanity was placed under the domain of Citadel laws

Societal change was brought about and the creation of all synthetic life forms was banned and is to be punished severely

Reasoning/Context - see Codex entry for Geth Rebellion

Cerberus interests lie with the continuation of human advancement in a hostile galaxy, in accordance to that central idea the creation of true synthetic life was [(FilesCorrupted)]...

….files updating….

As a result of the citadel invasion by Former Citadel Council Spectre Saren and the fleet invasion consistent with Geth ships, and the introduction of the AI Reaper threat by the Dreadnought ship known as Sovereign the continuation of research into synthetic life has been pioneered by cerberus interest groups

Multiple ideas were presented for the influx of funding in this endeavor

Ultimately only three projects were greenlite for immediate continuation of funding as the majority of funds were rerouted towards a more…..immediate endeavor

Project ******* - After the death of Human Hero Commander Shepard at the hands of mysterious forces Cerberus interest was centralized into the success of human continuation in the face of galactic extinction

For that to be achieved by order of the Illusive man Project ******* has been the focal point of these endeavors

However Cerberus being a firm believer in redundancy for the benefit of humanity alternate paths are also being tested

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….

….

…..

…..

…..Command keys Requested…..

Command Keys accepted

Welcome back…...

Ongoing project Reports

File B :

Completed mission Reports

Project Casualty reports

Projected revenue reports

network reports

File Z

…..Command Keys requested…..

Access to these files is to limited high command personnel to view these files without proper clearance is grounds for immediate termination

…...command keys accepted…..

…..Retinal scan complete…

…...DNA scan….complete…

….Voice Command Authorization Required…..

"Voice Command Authorization *** *** **** ** *** *** "

…..Voice Command Acknowledged…...

Encrypted messages stored-

High value Projects reports - *****

…...Accessing High Value Project reports…

Miranda Lawsons project Updates

1st Report (summarized)

{Subject ******* has been retrieved and assurances were once more given to the subjects … former paramour, with that taken care of the subject is now being transported to the projects station.. Will send secondary update when subjects condition is known}

2nd Report (summarized)

{Subject condition while …. Severe, cranial contents appear to still remain suitable for project ******* to begin}

3rd Report (summarized)

{Subject scans indicate adequate preservation of specimens more vital parts the damage is still quite severe, while it is within my ability to correct there are some delays as was to be expected}

4th Report (summarized)

{Subject continues to mend according to our estimations but the progress is still slow in our attempts to stimulate the more stable cells, while some progress has been made I continue to wonder on progress from our other ..… avenues}

5th Report (summarized)

{ Subject is surprisingly beginning to show signs of neural activity which frankly should be impossible the amount of damage indicated a far longer timeframe before this level of stimulation was even theoretically possible, I will continue to monitor the subjects condition and report any further progress}

6th Report (summarized)

{We've had further delays, while the neural activity continues to astound us the damage to the subjects spine was greater than we realised, it can be mended but it will require greater focus and force us to delay even further}

7th Report (summarized)

{ The amount of delays has been ...difficult but the project continues to advance , secondly i would also like to indicate that the secondary projects suggested to understand the high levels of neural activity are well underway and appear to suffer none of the difficulties we've expressed before}

8th Report (summarized)

{...Astounding from what we've been able to glimpse into the mental activity within the subjects mind we've come to realise that somehow the subjects awareness is growing something that simply shouldn't be possible, while it is our equipment that's maintaining the condition of the subject this level of mental stimuli shouldn't be taking place until we are further into the project… i am considering advancing with the next step in one of the secondary projects… while there is no signs shown of any form of degradation as a result of a deep neural path scan I continue to be hesitant about advancing with that possible endeavor}

9th Report (summarized)

{ As you ordered the scan was completed and a template of the subjects neural pathways is being collected and will begin the process by which we expect it to gain a limited sense of awareness, as per standard protocol it is being conducted on a closed network to insure no leaks of data}

10th Report (summarized)

{Astounding simply astounding the growth of the formerly biological construct is now progressing well beyond our expectations it appears that the subjects….mental copy… is adapting to the system that we've placed it in,

11th Report (summarized)

{ As per your orders i've begun focusing solely on the main project and have instead delegated the progress of the secondary template to my assistant Wilson as he will now continue to monitor the construct while i Assume my main projects lead once more}

12th Report (summarized)

{Subject Almost awoke yesterday, it gave us quite the fright, had he exerted himself any further the mending wounds both internal and external could have ruptured, I quickly administered the necessary elements into the subject to return it back into a restful state, this while unexpected is a very good sign for us as it indicates the subjects mind is beginning to reform the necessary connections to function the body}

13th Report (summarized)

{I'm beginning to question Wilson's motives, while in the beginning i suspected his personal involvement to this project I accepted that his knowledge and expertise was too valuable to lose over a difference of opinion but over time since I delegated the monitoring of the secondary project he's begun to isolate himself greatly, while it hasn't affected his work it has been drawing the attention of the other doctors, I will approach him later today to learn the reason behind his change in behaviour}

14th Report (Summarized)

{It was as i suspected, Wilson showed his true colors and somehow gained control of the mech security stationed across the facility they are starting to rampage, I am heading to retrieve the priority subject, if at all possible i will attempt to collect the secondary subject but i will not risk the primary subject, aside from some minor cosmetics the main subject should be completely stable, I will be taking a shuttle and evacuating the facility with the package in tow}

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(Wilson)

Alarms are ringing and weapons firing can be heard just outside in the distance

Wilson's vision was coming in and out, not to the mention the constant ringing in his ears

He was tired, Wilson just wanted to lay there and just get it over with

But life being ever growing pain in his ass decided to break his peace

" _ **Wilson you have to keep moving"**_

Wilson groaned recognizing the voice but the pain was making everything confusing

Wilson tried to move but his leg burned, screaming at him to stay down

"Agh shit that hurts"

He quickly gave himself a pat down trying to find the source of the pain, he started with his arms and his chest but it was obvious once he looked at the big patch of blood soaked pants with the hole in the middle

"Ah Fuck-Fuck-fuck, I can't go any fucking further, some bitch shot me"

'How the hell did I get hurt, come on think. I was confronted by...Miranda- yes it was definitely Miranda she...threatened me..i think. Then something happened, screw it i'll think about it later'

" _ **Wilson listen to me, there's some medigel in the cabinet across the room your in, just make it there and you can patch yourself up"**_

"Thats easy to fucking say, do you know how much it hurts to move my goddamn leg"

" _ **...I'm not going to even bother with a response now get up, i don't know how much longer I can keep her out of the system, she's really persistent"**_

Wilson barked out a laugh, the chuckles shook his body but it numbed the pain just enough for him to start dragging himself across the room

"yeah, she always was a persistent bitch"

" _**A little less whining a little more walking"**_

"Shut the fuck up Shepard, I'm already dragging my ass across the floor trying to get the medigel"

" _ **Come on Wilson a little more, your almost there"**_

Wilson crawled knowing that to stop would mean he would die, maybe not to Miranda but bleeding out seemed like a shit way to die

" _ **I'm finishing up the last remains of resistance in this area of the station, in a few minutes i should be able to direct a few of the mechs over here to help you"**_

Across the station an explosion rang out and caused the ground the shake beneath wilson

"Agh damn it that hurts"

" _ **Yeah scratch what i said, it's going to take a little longer than i said to get the mechs here"**_

"Well fucking hurry"

" _**Well wilson it was your fault for sticking around when i told you to run"**_

Hearing that wilson had a quick flash back to the moment he got shot

'Miranda was threatening me, she pulled out her gun ready to shoot me, then the loki mechs jumped onto her, my communicator went off and his voice told me to run, but i stood there like an idiot trying to figure out what happened, Miranda got a shot off, that's all it took to get me running'

"Hey don't fuck with me right now, If you want my help in getting off this death trap then you better watch what you say"

Wilson was almost there he just needed to cross the last few feet,

'Come on, come on, there!'

Wilson reached it, and luckily for him the cabinet happened to have the medigel in the lower compartment in the first aid kit

"I got it now hurry the fuck up with those loki mechs, and miranda better stay the hell away from me"

" _ **Fine, fine i'll continue to delay Miranda's efforts to get into the system control"**_

"Don't forget to shut down her access codes"

" _ **Don't say something that stupid Wilson, of course I did that otherwise she wouldn't be trying to slice into the system"**_

"Aw shut it"

" _ **Im redirecting some heavies at her that should get her moving, but it will affect how well i can deal with the remaining security forces"**_

"Ah don't worry, Jacob and his shitty guards aren't going to be a problem"

" _ **Are you sure"**_

"Of course im sure, there's less than a dozen of em left since the last ambush you sprung on them"

" _ **They were sloppy, any soldier worth a lick of salt would have seen it coming"**_

"Well you gotta remember, some of these guys are total morons, well that and seeing mechs doing that has got to be a mind blower"

" _ **I fought a Geth army i can tell you that what i used against these guys is only a fraction of what i had to go through"**_

"Wow shepard way to be modest"

" _ **Modesty isn't something i care too much about right now"**_

"Yeah-yeah, don't go getting your panties in a bunch"

" _ **Just get your ass moving already"**_

"Fine fine i'm going"

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(Miranda)

'Damn it, damn it, damn it'

I quickly turned left into the hallway, the Loki mech patrolling didn't stand a chance

I slammed him with a biotic push into the wall and gave him a head shot to keep him down

I quickly grabbed his thermal clip, i've been running and for hours trying to get to the main server room but these damn things are swarming it

Thunk….thunk….thunk

'Damn! it found me again i have to get out of here'

I get up and make my way further down the hall, this is the closest I've gotten since the security mechs went rogue

I duck beneath the windows knowing that if a single mech sees me i'll be swarmed

'Come on, come on im almost there'

I finally reached the the door leading into the server room, but its bloody locked

'Ok no problem, i can just override it with my access codes'

I open up my omni-tool trying to get access to the doorway

Thunk..thunk….thunk

'Shit, come on-come on-come on'

The door flies open

'Fuck'

I leap to the left a rocket flying past me slamming into the wall

The shrapnel slams into my barrier but i get it to hold

I'm on my hands and knees trying to get up, it bloody hurts but ive had worst

Thunk...thunk….thunk

'Fuck i've already got one on me, im not about to get pinned in by two'

I push myself off the ground and get moving

The hallway meets a cross section so I turn left

' i've wasted too much time trying to get inside, i need to randevu with Jacob'

" **Miranda do you copy"**

'Its jacob, guess I wasted more time than i thought'

" **Miranda are you there"**

I keep running before i answer, I'm not about to stop and chat

" **Miranda can you hear me, i've lost most of my men, but we've secured the package, heading to randevu point A"**

That's good news, just what i needed to hear, sadly I need to double back if I want to reach the randevu point without making a loop around the station

'Damn it, alright Ive got to get moving no use complaining about anything'

I stop to catch my breath

Thunk...thunk….thunk

'Damnit doesn't this damn machine have something better to do than dog me'

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(Jacob)

"Keep moving, don't slow down, we drilled for this dont stop"

Loki mechs were coming out of every doorway but it was what was behind us that we didn't want to catch up

Rounds firing across the station were the norm since the battles broke out

I feel another slug slam into my barrier but I'm still holding strong

Thunk...thunk...thunk

" **Targets located, initializing combat initiatives"**

"Shit! Get into cover! Move!"

I run and leap behind a turned over table, someone must've used it for cover because there's a few spent thermal clips lying there

I quickly push myself into a crouched position and look out at what's left of my security team

Daniels was pinned down by small arms fire from loki mechs but he had good cover behind the pillar

Erika didn't make it into cover in time she had been lagging behind the group and got caught by the heavy mechs rocket

" **Target eliminated, acquiring new target"**

Steven was firing from across the room, standing behind the edge of the wall

'How the hell did he get over there so quick'

Morgan popped out from behind a desk and blew a loki's head off, quickly ducking when the heavy turned to face him

Kyle was near the entrance we just came out of, he had been lagging behind Erika and that was just the reason he survived

'Where the fuck is jenkins'

"Leeroy Jenkins"!

'Fuck don't tell me he's doing what i think he's doing'

I watched as the moron I should have fired months ago run out of cover straight at the heavy mech firing his grenade launcher round after round

Splugh, BOOM

The first round hit the group of loki's firing at Daniels giving him the freedom to start firing back

Splugh, BOOM

The second hit the Heavy Mech

Splugh, BOOM

Another landed on the heavy

"Jenkins get the fuck back into cover"

But it was too late

The heavy mechs barriers had held the blasts back, it turned towards jenkins and spun up its machine gun

'Shit come on, Jacob you know what to do'

I quickly get up and spring out of cover and throw a stasis at jenkins

'Hopefully the stasis will hold back the heavy's gun'

A flurry of heavy rounds slammed into jenkins frozen form

A plan forming in my mind i call out my orders

"Kyle get ready, when the stasis drops you better be there to tackle jenkins back into cover

"Daniels slap a singularity on that heavy"

"Morgan, Steven, focus fire on the heavy, Jenkins may be a moron but he weakened the heavy's barrier"

I opened fire on the mech, round after round pinged off its form, the barrier holding but it was starting to crack

I can feel the stasis about to drop so i charge up my warp when i see the heavy getting ready to launch a rocket

"Noo"

I throw out my warp hoping to disrupt his firing mechanism or even throw off his aim

My warp slammed into the heavy detonating the singularity

The barrier snapped and the armor plates were torn off but the rocket shot out

It missed jenkins but instead it flew right at kyles feet, in getting closer to jenkins he left himself exposed

He died before his body slammed into the wall behind him

Jenkins was released from the stasis but the moron was now fueled by rage he switch out of the empty grenade launcher and pulled out his katana shotgun

Jenkins was marching towards the heavy firing round after round

The armor plates were not there to stop the shots anymore, each round slammed into the mech tearing it to pieces as oils and fluids were spilling onto the floor

The mech was down by the time jenkins got close enough to strike it if he wanted to

Jenkins lowered his katana now overheated and turned to me

"See Jacob i told you the old Jenkins family motto wasn't for nothing"

I was just about to shout at that moron for getting kyle killed trying to save his ass when the mech moved

"What the hell"

The heavy moved one of its arms and clamped onto jenkins leg

Jenkins screamed as his bones were crushed by the sheer force exerted by the mech

But I knew what was coming next, the security feature installed in every heavy would make sure to end it

"Everyone get into cover"!

Jenkins looked to me, the sheer look of betrayal he shot me almost stopped me cold but the blast of fire that shot out from behind him snapped me out of it

The heavy detonated and fried jenkins, when we all got out of cover the fire had begun dying down, jenkins was just a charred body, the ammunition he still had on him from the launcher blew holes in him

If we hadn't seen it happen ourselves we wouldn't be able to recognise him as one of ours

"Jacob why the hell didn't you hit him with another stasis"

I turned to Morgan screaming at me.

I turned to answer but my voice got caught in my throat, why didn't i save him...I didn't want to think about it now so i lied

"I was spent, throwing out so many biotic attacks drains me"

Morgan looked like he wanted to argue but Steven put his hand on morgans shoulder and pulled him close to calm him down

Daniels merely looked at me and nodded, he wa always the more practical of my men, a realist at heart

I needed time to pull myself back together but we still had a mission to do so i swallowed down my worries and gave the orders

"Collect all the thermal clips you can and check Erika and kyle for medigel they were the ones who carried extra"

Morgans face flashed indignation and anger but steven just clamped harder on his shoulder, reminding him that they were gone now it's us who needed to survive

I jogged over to the door we came out of, hearing the distant thunk...thunk...thunk

Was all the confirmation i needed so i used to door controls to shut the door then fired some rounds into the control to keep it shut

One heavy almost killed us, i didn't even want to think about all the ones behind us

Or how many men I left behind to slow them down while we headed to our objective

I headed back to the group seeing Morgan,Steven, and finally Daniels all banged up reminded me of just how long we've been fighting across the station

It had to be at least 8 hours now since the mechs went AWOL and started trying to kill us

The men i lost trying to secure the barracks to make the initial push for the station were too many

By the time we got inside there was only 3 dozen of us left, they didn't last long against the swarm of heavys that follows after us

Everywhere we went the moment we slowed down they were there and we would lose more men retreating across the station

There were maybe 20 of us when miranda finally got orders to us, the station was lost and in order to insure all the years and funds pumped into her project then we needed to secure the package

So across the station we went losing people to ambushes and booby trapped bodies, it was guerilla warfare primitive but effective against us

The first of us to die were those who believed the mechs to be following basic programming

They weren't programmed to fight like this no mech was, this form of combat was organic and savage

By the time we got to this room i had lost most of the men under my command

But the mission had to go on, we were close to the objective maybe two rooms down

"Alright men, I know these battles have been brutal and we've all lost more than we thought possible to these machines, But we have our mission, a mission that they all died for, We Are All that stands between humanity's future and it's end, you know what's at stake, Cerberus protects humanities future and without the package the human race could meet its end so get your heads straight and follow me"

I jogged over to the door control and began opening the doorway when it shot open and a pistol was leveled at my face

A man was holding the weapon, his face covered in flowing scars and and sweat, he looked calm and focused

He turned his eyes just slightly enough to see my men but never took his finger off the trigger to end me if i made any moves

Daniels aimed his gun at the man but I needed him to stop so i spoke

"Daniels stop! By the time you shoot i'll be dead and the mission will have failed"

"The hell do you mean failed, it keeps going even if you die"

"Yes your right, But the moment he dies we fail"

Daniels looked confused along with steven and Morgan

Somehow i was the only one to recognize the man holding me at gunpoint

"Well men i'd like to introduce you to the famous Commander Shepard"

The man, Shepard merely raised a brow at me announcing his identity

The silence from the three behind me told me they were shocked at my announcement, they expected Shepard to still be strapped down to a table

I only knew shepard was able to move from seeing him almost awaken a few days earlier when Miranda was working on fixing him

Shepards eyes told me he had lots of questions and the gun pointed at my head told me i had lots of answers to give

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Miranda slid just under the table across from her and quickly leapt back to her feet to keep running

The Fenris mech slammed face first into the table

Since the table was bolted down the floor it held strong and snapped the Fenris's visual sensors

Miranda almost laughed at how she dealt with the persistent pest that had followed her for the last twenty minutes

She got passed all those damn heavys that were dogging her only for a dog mech to chase her

The irony was as irritating as it was humorous

She was almost to the randevu point, the project overall was a success

The loss of the station and the secondary projects while a disappointment wasn't the priority nor the purpose of the station

With the project a success everything else was expendable

Lazarus succeeded and now Cerberus would lead the fight to safeguard humanities future

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 _ **What two shepards what's going on, it's craaazy**_

 _ **Nah it's pretty obvious,**_

 _ **This story is actually inspired by a bunch of other cool stories i've read but they never finished and while their ideas were cool i wasn't about to blatantly copy theirs either**_

 _ **So i took my ideas and spun this little web and i couldn't help but love it**_

 **Help! you can plainly see im still working towards bettering my writing skills, while i have the inspiration and the ideas i need help building the story, it's why i ask for reviews**

 **Well that and Having someone help me write out my stories would really help me get chapters out for you all to enjoy**

 **Anyway imma leave it there**

 **Till next time everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone Faithless here, bringing you a new chapter in this wild adventure we're all on together because i can sure as shit tell you that i don't know where each step will take us**

 **Now there's the people who would argue that it's important to have a well structured plot line to follow and to just develop it along the way and i say...kudos**

 **but i'm not doing that because to me that's like smashing nails through my toes before a run, its gonna hurt and im gonna stop way before the end**

 **Ok so not the best analogy but still the point applies now let's get started**

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(Wilson)

"so where to now shepard"

" **I'm not exactly sure, i've always been more of an in the now kind of guy"**

"Well you better become an in tomorrow kind of guy fast because I'm not gonna sit around with my thumb up my ass"

" **While i appreciate the imagery as much as the next guy i do have to say that's a pretty strange way to spend your time, something i should know about your alone time"**

"Fuck off shepard it's just a saying"

" **Oh i'm sure it is wilson, but just know i dont judge you"**

"Grrrr shepard"

" **Oh fine Wilson have it your way, i'll think of something, for now i'll just continue what i was doing and plan something out you just keep heading to the shuttle station"**

"Fine but you'd better have a plan soon

' **yeah i better, can't think of anything worse than just sitting in this station bored out of my mind and besides his other plans were not going to come in handy until the big stuff starts and luckily for him he could now multitask"**

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(Alright guys time for a time skip, yes i know it's lazy writing but i don't really feel like writing out all the story from their time in the station before they get to where i want them to go)

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"Are you fucking kidding me, that's your plan"

" **Why yes, yes it is"**

"Your gonna get us killed, worst I'm going to die your just soup already"

" **Hey no need to panic, believe in me alright I AM COMMANDER SHEPARD so give me some credit and take a breath"**

"Grr damn it not i have any better ideas, alright setting course for the Aralakh system"

" **Alright then, now if you'll excuse me i'm going to run some calibrations and weapons diagnostics"**

"Damn it shepard you said it was going to be fine"

" **It is going to be fine, thats why im going to run those tests, i make my own definitions and if anyone disagrees well…"**

"God damn it why did i choose to help you"

" **Because we both know that miranda was going to put a bullet in you for selling my body to the shadow broker"**

"I don't know how she even began to find out I was so careful"

Wilson began slipping into introspection leaving shepard alone to remember how he played the situation into securing himself a window for freedom and by the gods he took it

While he was sorry about the civilian deaths in his defense they _were cerberus_ and if what Shepard had seen in other labs he had raided in the past, cerberus scientist as some scummy people

So the guilt was crushed and shepard even secured himself a nifty little person to help him secure his escape, and while shepard didn't like Wilson all too much either, he still preferred to keep him around just in case

' **Soon I'll be able to see an old friend'**

After all they were heading to Tuchanka the home of his old friend Wrex

who he could hopefully convince to help him find some leads to possible places he could look into for a better body

aside from cerberus because He is Not going to make ANY deals with a scum sucking terrorist group like them

As for now Shepard was stuck making do with 2 cerberus shuttles, 6 Y-mecs stuffed with extra memory space instead of rockets not that he didn't have a few but still

Well that and a few dozen Loki's he had managed to fit inside the shuttles carrying all the weapons he looted from the stations armory

Was it a bit much sure but shepard wasn't known to succeed because he ran into battle like a drunken jackass, no Shepard was the definition of a Hoarder

Well that and a scavenger, throughout his hunt for Saren, Shepard meticulously picked apart every base and location they visited for any extra ammo, grenades, credits and even stuff to sell for money

Wrex always found it funny but it was just a trait he picked up from his time running around with the gangs back on earth

And it definitely carried over when he got his shit together and joined the alliance, in fact they encouraged it

after all what military doesn't like it when its soldiers came back from missions with more munitions than they went off with

Yes Shepard was a hoarder but damn if it wasn't useful to chuck grenades at all his problems and not have to worry about running out

Back then he had crates full of em in his hanger of all kinds and yields. Wrex had liked it, found it funny called it mighty Krogan of me to blow my enemies apart with their own weapons

Me i just liked it cause it was cheap and because shopping was always a pain in my ass

So the trip went by fairly quickly for them, Wilson didn't have to share the rations and Shepard didn't have a restless body to move around anymore

Soon they started entering Tuchankas atmosphere heading straight for their landing site and began to hear a radio contact them

" _Halt you are entering Clan Urdnot controlled airspace, respond and give me a reason we shouldn't blow your shit out of the sky"_

" **This is Commander Shepard an old friend of your Clan chief, tell him to meet me if he remembers the debt he owes me"**

" _Shepards dead everyone knows that, imma blow your shit up"_

" **Do you really want to find out if Wrex won't rip off your quad for fucking around instead of just sending him the message"**

" _HAHAHA you have some balls to say that to someone who's got guns big enough to blow your shit up for days, alright I'll send your message along"_

" **Alright well be waiting Shepard out"**

"Shepard what the hell we almost died"

" **Calm down their Krogan they always do this shit"**

"It's exactly because their krogan that worries me"

" **Yeah no shit, but just because their known for that doesn't you can't make some good friends"**

"You don't make any goddamn sense shepard, i'm starting to worry I've gone crazy for sticking with you for so long"

" **Calm your shit wilson i've got this"**

"You better, i didn't survive getting my shit shot by miranda just to die here"

" **He keep that up and you might just make some friends down there"**

" _Hello, Shelard respond"_

" **Yeah im still here"**

" _Alright Clan chiefs agreed to meet with you, head to the landing coordinates, if you stray i've got permission to blow your shit up"_

" **You love your job don't you"**

" _Fuck yeah i do hehehe"_

Shepard didn't bother to respond merely commanding the Loki mech he he had at the controls to land them at the correct position

"Shepard so what's the plan"

" **i've got this"**

"That's what you said just before you rammed the the other 2 shuttles into the cerberus ship"

" **Hey it worked didn't it"**

"Those shuttles were filled with all the spare parts we had for the mechs"

" **Meh i'll just raid an eclipse base and steal some more"**

"That's where we're headed next isnt it"

" **Hehehe you read my mind wilson, you read my mind"**

"Goddamnit how did i get myself into this mess"

" **You got greedy myboy but don't you worry, once we got ourselves a ship you'll just sit back and relax maybe fix some stuff from time to time but i've got the rest handled"**

Wilson just sighed, Accepting that he was screwed anyway, cerberus wasn't the kind of organization that you could try to double cross without getting your head blown off

A few minutes later the shuttle carrying Wilson and the 2 main Y-mechs Shepard was using for this mission landed

The door popped open and were greeted by 4 clan Urdnot Krogan standing around with guns to secure the entry point in case of an attack

"Where is the one known as Shepard"

Shepard deciding to leave the Y's to guard the shuttle hopped out in a experimental Loki that he had supped up with extra armor plates on the way over

Just one of those little goodies that cerberus had lying around on their research station, wouldn't have even found it if shepard wasn't so determined to loot every inch of the station

In fact they took more than those 4 shuttles but the others were programmed with a flight path into locations that Shepard visited while still alive while on their hunt for Saren

After all he did visit quite a few lonely worlds just begging to be used for something, oh and boy did shepard have plans for those

But first he needed some credits for his future plans and where better to start than the 'land' of opportunity

But first he needed to build up a foundation and that's what he was working on

" **I am commander shepard or rather i am controlling this mech, seemed smarter to come in with a mech first than risk wrex blowing my ass way before i could explain how i survived"**

"Hahahaha a good idea human, the Clan Chief isn't one to tolerate shit that pisses him off, having someone claiming to be shepards already put him in a bad mood"

Wilson shrank back wanting more than becord go just stick around inside the shuttle but shepards already made it clear that if he wanted a free ride and his protection then he has to help him explain to Wrex what they had done

" **Come on wilson the faster we get through this and get Wrex's support the faster we can get to raiding that Eclipse base"**

"Ha i like you human, if you succeed and get the Chiefs approval you can count me in"

" **Then welcome aboard"**

The krogan merely grinned displaying the grin shepard was familiar with, his time around Wrex taught him that krogan didn't so much as smile as they did grin

So to know if they were smiling or grinning well that came down to the level of bloodthirst oozing from that grin.

Shepard walked down the crumbled path stepping over shattered stone and bombed out steel

Wilson wasn't far behind but he was having trouble walking, the sharp and jagged stones were playing hell with his footwork

A few krogan looked at him stumbling around and barked a laugh, Wilson normally would have gotten pissed and told people to piss off but he wasn't about to screw with Krogan

Finally they got the main chamber, Shepard could see a throne mounted upon a pile of crumbled stone

" _Stop right there"_

Shepard stopped where he stood merely gazing towards Wrex, shepards katana shotgun mag locked to his back, wilson the bumbling idiot nearly tripped when he heard Wrexs voice snap out

" **Good to see you again Wrex, such a nice welcome you've got prepared for us"**

Wrex's 'smile' was strained, that smartass reply was right along the lines of what Shepard would have said but he wasn't going to trust what he saw was clearly a Mech

" _So tell me, who dares to come here to my clans home claiming to be Shepard because all i see is a tin can and some human looking like he's about to piss his pants"_

" **Come on Wrex give me a the time to explain before you have you men behind me blow me up"**

Hearing that wilson turned slightly to see all the krogan they passed standing around them watching or...worst waiting

" _You come here, to my home claiming to be Shepard my friend and yet your going to be nothing more than a scrap heap for wasting my time"_

" **Damn it Wrex stop being a dick I don't have time to fuck around, now I came here to claim a debt you owe me"**

Wrex's face aportes a grin again but this one oozed death

" _Well then tell me, why do you think I Owe You anything, because i saw Shepard die and that could be any damn mech sporting his voice"_

" **If i was just any mech you'd have ripped me apart, besides as i said i'm here to claim a debt"**

" _I don't believe you to be shepard and I dont give favors to just any pile of pyjak shit that wanders in"_

" **Fine..if that's how you want to play this then give me a task"**

Wrex's bloodlust lessened, he was honestly intrigued to hear what the mech had to say

" **We both know that when i take a mission i dont fail, so here's what we're going to do, you give me a mission and I'm going to blow that shit away and when im done you will listen to what i have to say"**

" _And why would i trust you to return when i can just kill you now"_

" **Because you can hold onto Wilson here as a guarantee"**

To that Wilson almost pissed himself barely holding back a shriek until he got angry to mask his fear

"Damn it Shepard what the fuck are you doing, you said you would keep me around"

" **I am, now it's time you pulled your own weight"**

"This is bullshit, you wouldn't even be capable of so much as twitching in your broken ass shell if it hadn't been for me saving your mind"

" **Yes and then you tried to sell my body, you see where i could be holding a grudge"**

Wilson groaned knowing shepard wasn't going to budge, Wilson had no room to argue he was screwed into going along with shepards crazy plans

" **So Wrex what's it going to be , you gonna shoot us or are you going to pull your head out of your ass and listen up"**

" _Bahahaha you've got balls for a can opener, alright i'll accept your deal but know I'm not going to make it easy"_

" **Come on Wrex, I'm Commander Shepard when have i Ever done things the easy way"**

Wrexs response was a menacing grin, Wilson started swearing under his breath sure he was going to die but shepard didn't have a moment of doubt

xxxxxxxxx

" **Damn it Wrex!"**

Shepard was hauling ass as fast as the mech could move, every step of his was followed by a chorus from behind him

It was in moments like these that he really missed his body, he would have used biotics to blow these little bastards away or just shot up high into a perch from where to gun them down but no instead cerberus decided to take his mind and make it into a quasi A.I.

So Shepard had to make do, with a slight toss shepard passed a grenade over his shoulder and kept moving

The loud bang and thumps followed by yelps made him feel much better

Still he wasn't done, the horde of Varren only chased him into a Klixen nest meaning he traded one pain in the ass for another

Shepard popped out his katana and blasted the first one to screech and rush him, its armor blocked the majority of the attack so sheppard double tapped finally piercing the armor

Shepard prepared to fire a third blast but seeing the fire rushing of our the klixens mouth shepard jumped to his left sliding into a roll and then turned to shoot again

What he hadn't seen was the varren currently biting the klixens face

And he wasn't the only one, klixen and Varren were fighting each other all over the room, the two may live on the same world but they sure as shit didn't get along

Shepard seeing a chance decided to get some distance and jogged over to a broken pillar and got climbing

Once he got to the top he looked over the battles all over, it was pure chaos, Klixen exploding and breathing fire on the mad Verran

Shepard was only glad to see it because they were the problem Wrex sent him to solve, apparently some jackass decided that super varren were the next big ticket black market item

so he messed around with the Varren Genome and created a massive beast which was too wild to be domesticated even by krogan so he released it hoping the future generations were more receptive to domestication

This of course led to a massive varren pack running around Tuchanka pissing off the clans who lost men and food to their growing hunger

Shepard had already killed the alpha with a few quick slaps of grenades to its face but that alerted every varren in their giant hoard meaning Shepard ran his ass out of there

Just because he had multiple mechs to use didn't mean he liked to be wasteful…... plus he really liked the color scheme on the Loki Mech, say what you will about cerberus but black and gold was stylish

Shepard seeing an opportunity began picking off all the beasts that tried to escape or stopped fighting

It took a while and shepard was almost out of thermal clips but by the time he was done the room was covered in bodies and charcoaled remains

Shepard hopped off the pillar and walked through the sea of bodies looking for any still alive, it wouldn't do for him to work this hard only for them breed their numbers back up

' **It's times like these that I'm happy i don't have a sense of smell anymore** -

A nearby klixen exploded splashing the varren blood from the nearby bodies all over shepard

- **or a mouth** '

With that splash as his cue that he was done here shepard started his march back to clan Urdnot territory and hopefully this time get the opportunity to explain

xxxxxxxxxx

Shepard arrived back at Wrex's throne, his sleek metal shell covered in patches of klixen guts and varren blood

" **Hey wrex i'm done with my chores, any chance we can have that chat now"**

" _So i see you survived, cant say im too happy part of me hoped we could get to eat your little friend but let it never be said the chief of clan Urdnot is a liar so i will listen now speak"_

Wilson having stayed quiet throughout the brief exchange quickly stepped over to shepard and almost fell over when wrex said they were hoping to eat him

" **Good then now that we have a chance to talk let me start off by saying that it** _ **is good**_ **to see you again"**

Wrex did not respond verbally and he didn't need to, after having fought alongside shepard for the entire hunt for Saren, Shepard could read Wrex's moods even when he tries to hide it

And even though Wrex had a great poker face Shepard knew him too well

" **Stop with the resting bitch face Wrex"**

"Bahahahahah on you have ever had the quad to say that to a krogan Shepard, alright then i'll listen"

" **Well i'm glad to see that i finally got through to you"**

"Eh in all my years ive met dozens of fools stupid enough to believe what they see or hear no its best to be skeptical, better than a bullet in the back of your skull"

" **Ah well if only Nihlus had heard your speech he might still have his face"**

"Hehehe you continue to convince me more and more, not many know about shepherds sense of humor, he was kind of an asshole"

" **Good to know i haven't changed, anyway i'm here because this moron back here, his names wilson by the way he did a project for Cerberus he decided that sends they couldn't revive me after you know I got spaced and hit a goddamn planet that they were going to put me in a machine and then before I knew it that that piece of me that they put inside a machine which was really just my mind I guess well it started growing and then I began to become aware"**

" **Of course they thought it was a bright idea to enslave me which they should have known not to say to me if they knew anything about me but between me and you cerberus are Dicks so of course I broke outs and you know blew it up and now I'm here"**

"Bahahahaha only you Shepard, most people run out of creds or get shot but only you would lose your body and keep on walking like nothing happened"

" **Well I'm here to tell you that I need a ship because I'm planning on continuing my War with the Reapers, we both know their coming.. and before you say no know that I'm not recruiting you because come on Wrex we both know that you're not leaving Tuchanka"**

" **you're going to watch out for your people that's why I know you don't turn your back on your friends so imma take that ship if you can get me a goddamn ship and I am going to go build an army and then I'm going to save this goddamn Galaxy"**

"Hehehe your right Shepard i dont turn my back on my friends but what you ask isn't so easy to give, im a clan chief yes but ships aren't something Krogan have many of so that's a tall order"

" **Damn it..well if you can't give me a ship, do you happen to know where i could hypothetically take one"**

"Hehehe now your talking that i can do there's an outpost there's an outpost nearby run by the blue Suns it should be one of the surrounding systems"

" the blood pack brought it to my attention, I've gained some influence with them because of my pacts with the females to repopulate, so their problem looks like it'll be your benefit so here's what I'm thinking you hitch a ride when they attack the Outpost if let's say some ships happen to go missing belonging to the blue Suns well that's not our problem they should have known better than to encroach onto Tuchanka's territory and well let's see if there's anyone stupid enough to pick a fight"

" **Well sounds simple enough send me the information and i'll take care of the rest"**

"Have a good hunt Shepard, and do be sure to let me know how well you do in the future it's not every day an old friend comes back from the dead in a tin can"

" **I'll be sure to do that, do try not to get a hole blown in your ass, your dad already tried to kill you on sacred ground, any jackass could do the same"**

"Bah i'd like to see them try"

" **Ha well then old friend if you need help be sure to let me know, anytime you need someone dead I'll be happy to accommodate"**

"That's a nice offer Shepard one i'll be sure to keep in mind"

xxxxxxxx

"What the hell Shepard, you were supposed to get a ship not plan an attack on a mercenary base"

" **Calm your shit Wilson you'll stay behind i've got this so just sit back and focus on keeping my memory cores from glitching because if i forget how to talk just because of a glitch Im going to be pissed"**

"Bah your impossible"

Wilson walked away back to the shuttle, i hurried along to the one i loaded with a generator to recharge the batteries in this body before the battle with the blue suns comes around

xxxxxxxx

Timeskip to the attack

xxxxxxxxx

Shepard was controlling a heavy mech seeing blue sun's coming at him he turned to face them, his shields were holding while firing off burst after burst of fire, finding his first target his machine gun mowed down the first on the right taking down another target but the fire keeps coming down at him

His heavy mech wasn't able to go take cover being too large, he loaded up a rocket to take a shot blowing up another target

The Krogan at his back, the blood pack bastards were being crazy and wanted the blue Suns dead, spread between them were some of shepards Loki mechs each loaded up with shield emitters he had scavenged from the dead mercs that they had already dealt with earlier in their attack

The Krogan tried telling him to wait till the end of the battle before he scavenged but when a rocket launcher he collected saved them from a hidden heavy turret they shut up

With a resounding blast the last of the defenders were blown down

as per the agreement shepards shuttles all began touching down into the base and releasing the dozens of mechs he had stored aboard

Each began scouring every inch of the facility and cataloging the contents found to create a manifest that shepard would use to see what to gift wrex as thanks for the krogan troops that brought him here

Overall shepard had only lost a few mechs, turns out when you have an N7 veteran spread out across dozens of bodies you get quite the fearsome battlegroup, of course the krogan carried their weight and broke the enemy lines everytime the battles started stalling

It had taken some hours but a couple hundred blue suns were dead now, turned out the 'outpost' was actually a base for blue sun activities in the surrounding systems

But of course the blood pack being made up of Krogan they diluted the problem and just saw it as a minor threat

Shepard was sure they would have suffered some losses if not for his..intervention

The battles had been intense and the blue suns were ambushed and killed by Shepards mechs, being an N7 and an experienced commander allowed his to guide his bodies with a nimble efficiency

Well that and shepard taking the time to program each mech with combat software worth a damn, turned out if he concentrated hard enough he was able to install his combat experience into the mechs

But while that sounded impressive all it really did was teach the lokis to act like decent soldiers at worst and veteran soldiers at best when shepard really took the time to lead them

The blue suns were freaked out seeing loki's pop into cover and taking pop shots before moving into new territory, well that and watching through their security cams as the mechs looted their dead by stripping them down and taking their armors only to slap them on over the mechs bodies

It was crude but effective, shepard planned to take the time to modify and adjust the armors he collected to be more fitted to the loki mechs well that an a new paint job

Those armors well too blue for him, well that and the fact that donning merc colors was disgusting to him

He was doing what he had to do for humanity, the council would never listen to him now that he was a machine, and the involvement of Cerberus meant that the alliance wouldn't believe him either

' **How did things go to shit so quickly'**

Shepard having so little time to really stop and question all that he was doing was filled with doubts at times but he was a soldier a man of action and he easily chose to continue marching on for the sake of humanities survival over questioning the implications of his current state

xxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Faithless here, hey guys so here's another chapter, honestly i had it written for the last few weeks but then i got swept up writing For the Horde and forgot to post it, so here you go enjoy and if anyone wants to hop on the bandwagon and help me out with my stories let me know, anyways bye for now**


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